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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · branch · board · stand · clip · mine · present · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — an aim
  5. season — in sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. board — a committee
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. object — to protest
  16. present — a gift
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — a division
  21. present — there
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com